Oreste Ravanello

Oreste Ravanello (born August 25, 1871 in Venice , † July 2, 1938 in Padua ) was an Italian organist , composer , music teacher , music writer and magazine editor.

Life

Ravanello's parents were both music lovers: the mother an amateur pianist, the father a lover of singing in the baritone register ; Both passed on to him the musical passion of the family and, as a child and adolescent, brought about the development of extraordinary musical abilities in him. At first he had lessons with Paolo Agostini and A. Girardi at his native Liceo Benedetto Marcello , but was dismissed there "because of a lack of musical talent". As a schoolboy, he was by no means discouraged by it, he belied this professorial short-sightedness, went on working alone, chose his own teachers and replaced the school with hard private studies.

His career developed rapidly. As an adolescent he still taught singing and was in charge of the Scholae Cantorum at various Venetian parishes, while at home he held small family concerts. At the age of 17 he became the organist of the Cappella Marciana in Venice. At the age of 19 he fought passionately for the reform of sacred music at the side of Giovanni Tebaldini in the course of the activity of the Cecilian movement , whereby he was one of the most convinced pioneers and the outstanding spokesman. “In this climate of polemical discussions, strict studies, research into the past and the description and summary of ancient classical music, he matured into an artistic personality over time, reached a remarkable level at a very young age and pushed himself to the front of the Reform alongside Perosi , Bossi and Tebaldini, as well as other esteemed masters ”(Maurizio Machella). From 1893 he became director of the Schola Lorenzo Perosi as successor to Tebaldini and in 1895 first organist at the Basilica San Marco . As part of his artistic activity as an organist, the improvised duels on the two organs of S. Marco (Epistle organ by Gaetano Callido 1766, Gospel organ by William George Trice 1893), temporarily in the presence of Cardinal Giuseppe Sarto (later Pope Pius X.), also well known outside of Venice.

In 1898 he left Venice and became director of the Cappella Musicale della Basilica del Santo in Padua ; he held this office for 38 years. In 1902 he succeeded Marco Enrico Bossi as organ teacher at this school; From the same year he also carried out this activity at the Venice Conservatory. From 1912 until his death he was also director of the Liceo musicale of Padua, succeeding Cesare Pollini , and thanks to the support of the composer Ottorino Respighi , this school soon became a conservatory .

Oreste Ravanello died in Padua on July 2, 1938, at the age of almost 67.

meaning

The focus of his work was the reform of church music together with Giovanni Tebaldini, Lorenzo Perosi, Giuseppe Terrabugio , Filippo Capocci and Luigi Bottazzo . In composing sacred music, he was one of the creators of the liturgical-musical style, inspired by the music of the 16th and 17th centuries, based on his thorough studies of the ancient polyphony; His analysis of the complete works of Palestrina should also be emphasized here. This style developed by him set the trend in Italy for an epoch from 70 years to the 1960s, when the Second Vatican Council (1963–1969) brought about a break in the previous movement with a new radical liturgical reform.

“In the history of the development of liturgical music in Italy at this time, the name of Oreste Ravanello remains as a strong and brilliant figure of restorer and innovator. His sacred works are a model of the symmetry, the harmonic and contrapuntal art, the noble and memorable melodic streak, the power and expressive elegance as well as the meditative interpretation of the sacred texts, which he has with the song and with the organ at all times of the liturgical action brought about ". (Maurizio Machella)

The greater part of his compositions consist of pieces of vocal and instrumental execution for liturgical use, whereby the formal rigor demanded by Pope Pius X is shown. A certain number of Ravanello's organ pieces are intended for concert performance - compositions which can rightly be considered the cornerstone of contemporary Italian organ music of the time. He also published 2 collections of educational textbooks for the systematic learning of this instrument, as well as theoretical works for the accompaniment of Gregorian chant and, in collaboration with Luigi Bottazzo , a textbook entitled L'organista di chiesa (The Church Organist). In addition, he was editor of the journal Il repertorio pratico dell'organista liturgico .

Ravanello was highly valued as an improviser , organist and organ designer and, along with Marco Enrico Bossi, was considered one of the greatest Italian organists of the time.

Works (selection)

• Vocal music
  • Cantata Fletus et spes (1905)
  • Cantata Omaggio alla regina (1905)
  • Cantica Sion (1908)
  • Hymn Inno al pontefice (dedicated to Pius X, 1935)
  • 27 masses, motets , psalms and 2 requiem
• Instrumental music
  • 7 corali for organ op.29 (1898)
  • 6 concert pieces for organ op.50 (1900)
  • Tema e variazioni for organ (1901)
  • 100 studi e esercizi for organ op.94 (1908)
  • Adorazione for organ (1937)
  • Mystica , suite with 3 concert pieces for organ op.113
  • Piano trio, overture, sonatas, string quartets (for organ, piano, harmonium or double bass)
• Various textbooks

Ravanello's works are mainly published by Bertarelli, Carisch, Ricordi ( Milan ) and Zanibon (Padua).

literature

• O. Ravanello, Studi sul ritmo e sull'accompagnamento del canto gregoriano , Turin 1912
• A. Garbelotto / M. Cicogna, Oreste Ravanello , Padua 1939 (with catalog raisonné)
• M. Savino, Un disegno di riforma della musica sacra: Oreste Ravanello e il movimento ceciliano , dissertation at the University of Venice 1993/94

swell

• MGG - Music in Past and Present , 2nd Edition, Person Part Volume 13 (2005)
• Foreword to the music edition of the Marcia dei Re Magi op.61 f by Maurizio Machella (Italian), Armelin-Musica, Padua, Edizioni Musicali Euganea, from the series L'organo Italiano nell'Ottocento (no year)